Beef Ragu Cannelloni with Cheese Sauce
Pasta tubes filled with slow cooked beef ragu and baked under a blanket of golden cheese sauce.
Made with Slow cooked ragu and Cheese sauce. Make a batch of the base first, then this takes minutes. Skip to the method
- Time1 hr 10
- LevelMedium
- Costabout £2.25 a head
- Oven190°C (170°C fan)
Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.
Ingredients
Tick what you need to buy. It goes on your shopping list.
Method
- 1
Heat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan). Warm your ready made ragu (see the base recipe) in a pan until hot, adding a splash of water if thick. Let it cool for 10 minutes so it is easy to handle.
- 2
Stir the basil into the ragu. Use a teaspoon, or a piping bag with the end cut off, to fill each cannelloni tube. Pack the filling in well.
- 3
Brush a baking dish with the oil. Spread a thin layer of cheese sauce over the base, then lay the filled tubes side by side.
- 4
Warm your ready made cheese sauce (see the base recipe) so it is pourable, then spoon it over the tubes, making sure they are completely covered. Dry pasta will stay hard.
- 5
Scatter with the mozzarella and parmesan. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
30 min - 6
Remove the foil and bake for 10 to 15 minutes more until golden. Rest for 5 minutes before serving.
12 min 30 s
Tips
- Fill the tubes while the ragu is warm but not hot. A piping bag makes this quicker and less messy.
- Make sure the pasta is completely covered with sauce, or it will stay hard at the edges.
- If you like a tomato note, spoon a little tomato sauce under the cheese sauce.
Storing and freezing
Cool within 1 to 2 hours. Keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days or the freezer for 2 months. Reheat covered at {t180} until steaming hot all the way through, about 25 to 30 minutes.
Questions
Can I use fresh lasagne sheets instead of tubes?
Yes. Roll fresh sheets around the filling instead of using dried tubes. Reduce the covered baking time to 20 minutes.
Do I need to cook the cannelloni first?
No, dried tubes cook in the oven as long as they are well covered with sauce and baked under foil.
Can I use a different filling?
Yes. Spinach and ricotta or a vegetarian lentil ragu both work well, and you can use the same sauce.
More made with slow cooked ragu
Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.